6 Year-end party ideas to get your groove back
In this month’s blog, we look at fun themes to inspire you.
- Bubbles and balloons.
- Best mask party theme.
- Pancakes and Pajamas Party Theme.
- Your Zoom outfit theme.
- Glam and Glitz – Black and white with a dash of glitter.
- Dance-athon.
6 YEAR-END PARTY IDEAS TO GET YOUR GROOVE BACK
The expression “Get your Mojo on” and the movie “How Stella got her groove back” has been on my mind this week. COVID and lockdown did a strange thing to us – we lost mojo, we lost our groove. Maybe it’s just the fact that you couldn’t plan ahead – not for tomorrow, not even a weekend trip somewhere, anywhere. Planning a trip is a vote of confidence in the future, and for a while, we did not have that luxury.
What better way to get our groove back than a good old year-end party. Face it – we have much to celebrate if we made it this far. Pandemics, load shedding, earthquakes – 2020 has been one for the books.
While it is understandable that the spending may be a little curtailed this year, there are still many ways to get the year-end party vibes going.
In this month’s blog, we look at fun themes to inspire you.
1.Bubbles and balloons
Who doesn’t love the two B’s – bubbles and balloons. Infuse your year-end party with balloon décor – it’s fun and frivolous. Create a welcoming entrance arch made from balloons and have helium balloons hanging from the ceiling. Create a buzz by inserting paper strips with spot prizes – pop the balloons towards the end of the evening to claim the prizes.
Bubbles are always popular for celebrations. Add a twist by offering bubbly cocktails. South Africa has so many fantastic options for sparkling wines and MCC – you will be spoilt for choice. We love the Rudolph Spritzer which has only four ingredients and is so easy to make. If you can’t get Prosecco, a good sparkling wine will do.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup cranberries, frozen
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- Ice
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 cup vodka
- 1 cup Prosecco
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine frozen cranberries and sugar.
Fill 4 glasses with ice. Divide cranberry juice, orange juice, and vodka between glasses. Top each glass off with Prosecco and garnish with sugared cranberries
For more bubbly cocktails, visit Delish.com.
Create a bubble lounge where food and wine pairing is offered instead of the usual dinner.
Be inspired by some of the Cape Winelands MCC and sparkling wine tasting combos:
- Champagne & Chocolate Tasting, Villiera Wines
Nougat and champagne pairing – JC Le Roux - Canto Wines has an MCC and Macaroon tasting featuring 4 MCC’s paired with 4 macaroons
- MCC & Canape Pairing Boschendal
2.Best mask party theme
At Lockdown Level 1 fashion boredom has set in, and we are “over” the practicalities of masks, however essential they still are. We want funky, different and it needs to match the outfit. Or at the very least make a statement of some sort.
Challenge your staff to make masks for the year-end function – we are talking outrageous and original. And award fantastic prizes for the top three. Since we have all been stuck at home, we recommend some travel prizes like a wonderful weekend away at Umthunzi Hotel for the family or couples.
Be inspired by the 28 most creative masks from around the world compiled by Insider.com – from cabbage leaves to plastic bottles and jewel-studded masks – it’s all there.
3.Pancakes and Pajamas Party Theme
We’ve all spent almost six months in lockdown in our pajamas. Do not even try denying this – we are on to you. Create a pajama party with all the trimmings for your year-end party – the focus is on keeping it fluffy – large pillows, cosy blankets, bean bags, soft toys.
Create pancake stations with various fillings, from savoury to sweet. Create a beautiful display of berries, chocolate chips, cream, ice cream, sprinkles, milk tart filling – the options are endless. The office guys are more likely to go for manly fillings like mince, chicken mayonnaise, or a biltong dip. Pancakes can off course be substituted with waffles which are just as much fun.
If it’s within your budget, add a welcome gift pack with sleep accessories – a sleep T-shirt or short, an eye mask, or even a fluffy personalised winter robe or summer Kaftan robe. Fun slippers and flip flops also make wonderful gifts.
On the subject of lockdown dress codes…
4.Your Zoom outfit theme
Remember the times you tricked everybody during the Zoom call? Formal tops and jacket on – some even managed a tie. But low behold, below the camera line we had sleep pants, shorts and stretched sweatpants and who knows what else. We dare you to re-create those fashion faux-pas as a yearend party theme. Imagine the laughs you will have.
5.Glam and Glitz – Black and white with a dash of glitter
Months of slouching around, without any make-up and beards putting the original caveman to shame may have the opposite effect on you and your office team. If staff scroll through fashion pages with tears of longing in their eyes, it is time to invite them to dress up.
Let’s Glitz and Glam like the old days. Dust off the evening wear, bring out the long gloves and bow ties, because this year’s party is all about fab. Black themes extend further than dress code and provide imaginative guidelines for décor and food. Be sure to create a photo booth to capture these glamorous moments for time to come.
UK based events specialists Eventologist, recommend glitter tattoos for guests as they walk in, glittering dress code, edible glitter food! They add and glitter carpet for entrances, twinkly dance floors, glitter table centre décor with luxurious sequin tablecloths. According to them, gold themed entertainers for this event; stilt walkers, showgirls, and showmen – adds the final touch.
6. Dance-athon
Jerusalema has become a worldwide hit and if you have teams within your company who have nimble feet, a Jerusalema dance-off may be just the thing to get your party going. This SA music track and dance steps were created in Angola but have spread worldwide even faster than we can say COVID. The 2019 hit by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode has been streamed more than 60 million times on Spotify. Instagram counts 27 400 Jerusalema tagged posts, with 12 900 of them being #jerusalemachallenge. Steady proof that we all want to get our groove back.
Getting itchy feet from watching this? Then click on this video for an easy step by a step video tutorial to share with your staff and give them a week to prepare before the year-end party dance-off.
Charities
Year-end parties should be about fun, but also about giving back. Use this opportunity to involve your staff members in a charity. Choose a children’s or old age home and add tags with names to the Christmas tree at the office. Each staff member buys a present for this specific person. There are so many deserving charities to choose from that it’s hard to single any out, but longstanding reputable organisations such as Santa’s shoebox, Guide Dogs Association, and Sunflower Foundation comes to mind.
Ask your venue about their chosen charities and how your company can support them – Umthunzi Hotel assists charities on a need basis and are often involved with the SPCA, Andrew Mentis, and also support Cupcakes of Hope.
If the mere thought of Pancakes and Pajamas lightens up your day, you already have some of your groove back. Even if no one can see it, put on your red lipstick behind your mask, do a little Jerusalema shuffle because it’s almost the end of the year. Because that feeling is your Mojo returning in small increments.
Year-end options
Umthunzi Hotel offers a selection of Year-end function menus – to view the menus, click here
It’s a great idea to catch up on all the traveling you missed out this year and visit the tropical coastal paradise on the South Coast of KZN should be at the top of your to-do list. Umthunzi Hotel has a super weekend special running. Feel like giving yourself an early Xmas present? Click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHRISTA BADENHORST
